Indications: U.S. stock futures to start holiday week up

By Kate Gibson and Polya Lesova, MarketWatch

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) â€" U.S. stock futures climbed Monday, tracking gains in European stocks, as investors looked to extend a three-week rally into this holiday-shortened week.

Solid fourth-quarter results should propel equities higher despite their short-term overbought condition, projected one analyst, who said he believes the bull market is likely to continue its run through January.

“We are overbought, no question. But it is earnings that move markets, and to that end, we have more fuel for Santa’s sleigh,” wrote Marc Pado, U.S. market strategist at Cantor Fitzgerald.

Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average /quotes/comstock/21b!f:dj\h11 (DJH11 11,468, +38.00, +0.33%)  gained 34 points to 11,464, and S&P 500 futures /quotes/comstock/21m!f:sp\h11 (SPH11 1,243, +4.90, +0.40%)  advanced 4.7 points to 1,243.1.

Nasdaq 100 futures /quotes/comstock/21m!f:nd\h11 (NDH11 2,223, +9.25, +0.42%)  rose 9.75 points to 2,222.92.

Travel chaos across Europe

Snow wreaks havoc on travelers across Western Europe on Sunday with thousands of flights canceled. Video courtesy of Reuters.

The blue-chip Dow index /quotes/comstock/10w!i:dji/delayed (DJIA 11,492, -7.34, -0.06%)  rose 0.7% last week, finishing with gains for three consecutive weeks.

Asian stocks finished mostly lower overnight, with Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average slipping 0.9%.

South Korea’s Kospi index fell 0.3%, as tensions on the Korean peninsula returned to the spotlight.

On Monday, South Korea conducted an artillery drill using live fire on Yeonpyeong island, according to media reports.

In Europe, equity markets posted gains, with the Stoxx Europe 600 index /quotes/comstock/22c!sxxp (ST:STOXX600 279.05, +2.63, +0.95%)  advancing 0.9% in intraday trade.

Airline shares, however, came under selling pressure as severe winter weather disrupted hundreds of flights across Europe. Shares of British Airways PLC /quotes/comstock/23s!a:bay (UK:BAY 268.30, -1.90, -0.70%) fell in London.

In the retail sector, eBay Inc. /quotes/comstock/15*!ebay/quotes/nls/ebay (EBAY 29.82, -0.71, -2.33%)  said it will acquire brands4friends, the Berlin online shopping club, for $200 million. In a statement Monday, eBay said the deal would strengthen its position as an online fashion provider in Europe.

Amazon.com Inc. /quotes/comstock/15*!amzn/quotes/nls/amzn (AMZN 177.58, -0.46, -0.26%) shares were affirmed at overweight by Barclays Capital, which raised its price target on the stock to $195 from $180.

After the U.S. stock market close, design-software maker Adobe Systems Inc. /quotes/comstock/15*!adbe/quotes/nls/adbe (ADBE 28.79, +0.27, +0.95%)  will release fiscal fourth-quarter results.

In the commodity markets, oil futures gained 47 cents to $88.49 a barrel in electronic trading on Globex. Gold futures rose $7.6 to $1,386.8 an ounce.

The dollar index /quotes/comstock/11j!i:dxy0 (DXY 80.42, +0.05, +0.06%) , which tracks the performance of the greenback against a basket of other major currencies, was at 80.381.

Kate Gibson is a reporter for MarketWatch, based in New York. Polya Lesova is chief of MarketWatch’s London bureau.

Powered By iWebRSS.com

NYSE Arca Morning Update - 08:30:00 ET

NYSE Arca Morning Update for Monday, Dec 20, 2010 :

STOCKS TRADING ON NYSE Arca AT A PRICE 15% OR MORE AWAY FROM
THE PREVIOUS TRADE DAY'S CONSOLIDATED CLOSE PRICE (AS OF 08:30:00 ET)

Stock Friday's Close Current Price Pct Change Current NYSE ARCA Vol
No symbols with at least a 15% price change today

10 MOST ACTIVE STOCKS ON NYSE ARCA AS OF 08:30:00 ET

BASED ON DOLLARS TRADED: | BASED ON SHARES TRADED:
Stock $ Volume Price PctChg | Stock Share Vol Price PctChg
SPY $66,884,854 $124.67 0.3% | C 1,277,578 $4.73 0.9%
APSG $37,858,074 $37.80 7.9% | APSG 1,001,475 $37.80 7.9%
GLD $7,649,741 $135.36 0.9% | SPY 536,526 $124.67 0.3%
EWZ $6,259,386 $75.40 ( 0.4%) | AIB 332,217 $1.17 ( 4.9%)
BP $6,085,742 $43.74 1.1% | BAC 143,904 $12.61 0.4%
C $6,041,757 $4.73 0.9% | BP 139,262 $43.74 1.1%
AAPL $5,234,547 $321.49 0.2% | UUP 120,100 $23.20 0.1%
IWM $5,151,848 $78.35 0.4% | ALU 108,758 $2.99 ( 0.6%)
QQQQ $4,405,220 $54.61 0.2% | SIRI 87,950 $1.40 0.0%
MFE $3,254,068 $46.29 ( 0.2%) | UNG 85,900 $5.66 1.2%

Price changes may be affected by symbol splits and dividends.

Consolidated close price is the last print (excluding prints with trade
conditions) prior to 4PM ET.

This information is also updated on our web page every morning at 8:35ET:
http://www.tradearca.com/data/volume/daily_update.asp

This material is for informational purposes only.
NYSE Euronext and its affiliates ("NYSE Arca") are not soliciting any action based upon it.
This material is not to be construed as an offer to buy or sell any security in any jurisdiction where such an offer or solicitation would be illegal.
Any opinions expressed in this material are NYSE Arca opinions only.
NYSE Arca undertakes no obligation to update any of the information contained in this material in light of new information or future events.
THIS MATERIAL IS PROVIDED BY NYSE ARCA "AS IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED.
NYSE ARCA DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY, TITLE, AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AS TO THIS MATERIAL.
IN NO EVENT SHALL NYSE ARCA BE LIABLE FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LOST PROFITS, TRADING LOSSES AND DAMAGES THAT MAY RESULT FROM THE USE
OF THIS MATERIAL, ANY DELAY OR INTERRUPTION OF SERVICE OR OMISSIONS OR INACCURACIES IN THE MATERIAL) WITH RESPECT TO THIS MATERIAL.

Copyright [2010] by NYSE Euronext. All rights reserved. Reproduction and redistribution prohibited without prior express consent.

Indications: U.S. stock futures steady in quiet trade

By Polya Lesova, MarketWatch

LONDON (MarketWatch) â€" U.S. stock futures straddled the flat line on Monday in quiet pre-Christmas trading, as traders kept an eye on heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula.

Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average /quotes/comstock/21b!f:dj\h11 (DJH11 11,440, +10.00, +0.09%)  gained 5 points to 11,435 and S&P 500 futures /quotes/comstock/21m!f:sp\h11 (SPH11 1,239, +1.00, +0.08%)  were virtually flat at 1,239.30.

Nasdaq 100 futures /quotes/comstock/21m!f:nd\h11 (NDH11 2,215, +2.00, +0.09%)  rose 2.5 points to 2,215.70.

Travel chaos across Europe

Snow wreaks havoc on travelers across Western Europe on Sunday with thousands of flights cancelled. Video courtesy of Reuters.

The blue-chip Dow index /quotes/comstock/10w!i:dji/delayed (DJIA 11,492, -7.34, -0.06%)  rose 0.7% last week, finishing with gains for three consecutive weeks.

“With no major economic announcements on the calendar, those traders who have made it to their desks are resigning themselves to another uninspiring day,” said Yusuf Heusen, senior sales trader at IG Index.

Asian stocks finished mostly lower overnight, with Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average slipping 0.9%.

South Korea’s Kospi index fell 0.3%, as tensions on the Korean peninsula returned to the spotlight.

South Korea on Monday conducted an artillery drill using live fire on Yeonpyeong island, the same island that North Korea attacked last month, according to media reports.

In Europe, equity markets posted gains, with the Stoxx Europe 600 index /quotes/comstock/22c!sxxp (ST:STOXX600 277.90, +1.48, +0.54%)  advancing 0.5% in intraday trading.

Airline shares, however, came under selling pressure as severe winter weather disrupted hundreds of flights across Europe. Shares of British Airways PLC /quotes/comstock/23s!a:bay (UK:BAY 265.30, -4.90, -1.81%)  slumped 2.1% in London.

After the U.S. stock market closes on Monday, Adobe Systems Inc. /quotes/comstock/15*!adbe/quotes/nls/adbe (ADBE 28.79, +0.27, +0.95%)  will release fiscal fourth-quarter results. Analysts polled by FactSet Research expect the design-software maker to report earnings excluding one-time items of 52 cents a share and $988.2 million in revenue.

In the commodity markets, oil futures gained 16 cents to $88.18 a barrel in electronic trading on Globex. Gold futures rose $2.90 to $1,382.10 an ounce.

The dollar rose against most of its major rivals except the Japanese yen. The euro fell 0.4% to $1.3140 and the dollar dropped 0.2% to 83.81 yen.

The dollar index /quotes/comstock/11j!i:dxy0 (DXY 80.36, -0.02, -0.02%) , which tracks the performance of the greenback against a basket of other major currencies, gained 0.2% to 80.494.

Polya Lesova is chief of MarketWatch’s London bureau.

Powered By iWebRSS.com